Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1804-1828, 1891
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†UNSEELY, adj. Also unseally, oonseely.
1. Of times, conditions, etc.: characterized by danger or misfortune, unhappy, unseasonable; “unholy”, “ungodly”. See seely, Seil, n.Abd. 1828 P. Buchan Ballads II. 11:
There fell a-rousing them amang, On an unseally time.Abd. 1891 Trans. Bch. Field Club II. 15:
He had to get up in “the onseely 'oors o' the nicht” to go to sea.
2. Of animals: mischievous, evil-doing, ill-conditioned. Cf. Unsell, n.Mry. 1804 R. Couper Poetry II. 84:
My bacon ham, my table's pride The unseely tyke has ta'en.
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"Unseely adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 6 Aug 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/unseely>
